Beach Art Print "Chasm" Surreal Surf Series

Paradise Lost? "Chasm", a contemporary surrealist beach artwork, is a reproduction of Southern California artist Matthew Allen's Surreal Surf beach art. The former Surfer Magazine Art Director is also the co-creator of the now retired boutique surf brand The Ryde. Much of his fine art and photography revolves around beach and surf culture. Matthew spends his days shooting photos and making art as well as creating illustrations for clients such as UNIQLO, Ford Motor Company, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Ron Herman, Champion, Vans, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and the Anaheim Ducks. Most of his other waking hours are spent surfing and making music.

Artist Statement by Matthew Allen regarding his Surreal Surf series, featured by Surfer Magazine

"You have become numb to the impact of seeing a compelling surf image. We all have. For the first 40 years of surf media we had to wait for a magazine to arrive at our door, or the latest film to swing through town, in order to eat up celluloid images of our shared obsession. Now we get more than we can handle. So much so, that rather than savoring interesting images, we quickly discard them in search of whatever is next. This isn't a new narrative, but with it in mind I had an idea for something fun that might temporarily stop people from their forever scrolling. I started taking images and warping them selectively. Helping them to tell more of a story. As I went along I got bolder with my edits and narratives emerged. Some images ended up being environmental commentaries, while others remained simply fun abstractions. Are we teetering on the abyss with our questionable environmental ethics? What if mid trim your surfboard started wagging like a tongue? Has George Greenough considered a zigzag fin? Is there a design advantage to wiggly stringers? Feast your eyes... Let your mind wander... See where it takes you..."